The recent situation with the presidential election has drawn attention from all political forces across the globe. Its overextended process and a number of controversial statements and mishaps that occurred prior to and during the election served as a catalyst for speculations regarding global political changes in the coming years (Krastev & Leonard, 2021). Even prior to it, there were concerns regarding the effects of either outcome on the situation in the world (Radu, 2020). Krastev and Leonard (2020) state that “there are geopolitical consequences to American weakness.” The issue that I would like to highlight is the perceived decrease of the political power of the United States due to the recent election results. This essay discusses the major concerns from the international community in regards to the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
As the role of the President of the United States was transferred to Joe Biden, it became clear that there will be drastically opposite changes in the direction of the country. The study by the Pew Research Center shows that the majority of lawmakers in Canada, Australia, and the U.K. expressed their positive sentiments regarding the change in the U.S. administration (Devlin et al., 2021). However, countries of the European Union, as well as India, have their concerns regarding the future of the U.S. as the flagship of the world’s economic and political power (Krastev & Leonard, 2021; Mehta, 2021).
The primary source of contentions appears to be the expected change in the relationships between China and the United States. For example, Mehta (2021) states that, in recent years, “India and the U.S. had a very successful and cordial relationship as compared to any other country when it came to trade.” However, due to the ongoing conflict between China and India and the intention of president Biden to establish more cordial relations with China, this stability is being put into question (Mehta, 2021). As India’s economy continues to grow, it is in America’s interests to keep the common interests with its ally (Mehta, 2021). Several other countries have expressed their concerns regarding the drastic changes in China-America relations, which might lead to significant economic instabilities (Krastev & Leonard, 2021). Krastev and Leonard (2021) conducted a survey that shows that “six out of ten respondents think that China will become more powerful than the U.S. within the next ten years.” It is not yet clear if this assumption is correct, yet it plays a significant role in concerns of the international community regarding the wavering power of the United States.
Over the years of his presidency, Trump has introduced drastic policies aimed inwards that shaped the world’s relations with America. Trade wars with China, the abandonment of the Paris Climate Agreement, and the exodus of troops from the Middle East were the result of these changes and had an adverse impact on the U.S. leadership position (Krastev & Leonard, 2021). In the meantime, Biden’s campaign has shown that the candidate will provide diametrically opposite views on the global issues in comparison with Donald Trump (Radu, 2020). This sudden change in direction only fueled the doubts regarding the strength of the United States as the leader.
One of the sources of weakness caused by the presidential election is the decreased belief in democracy. Historically, American electoral processes have been considered to be one of the fairest and trustworthy (Radu, 2020). Regardless of the outcome of the election, the almost even number of votes has guaranteed a heated debate about the winning candidate and a weakened perception of Americans of their electoral system (Radu, 2020). Claims regarding voter fraud do not have to be proven to cause a divide among the population, further weakening its position on the global scene.
I believe that these concerns are mostly accurate and supported by sufficient evidence. In the wake of recent executive orders by Joe Biden that have entirely reshaped the directions set by ex-president Donald Trump, it is expected for other countries to view this sudden shift as instability and weakness within the system. The resolution of the situation with China, while essential for a mutual benefit, currently lacks official coverage and fails to recognize the conflict between India and China (Mehta, 2021). It is critical to the U.S. government to clearly establish its position in regards to the controversial issues that harm its reputation to improve its image.
In conclusion, the 2020 U.S. election was expected to introduce a significant disturbance in the current state of global politics. Many countries expected drastic changes in the U.S. international policies that will affect them in an unpredictable way, and this anticipation continues to weigh down on their decision-making process (Krastev & Leonard, 2021). The current President must address these concerns publicly and set a course towards alleviating the issue with the highly divided population of the United States, as it only weakens the country. Addressing these concerns will simultaneously increase the trustworthiness of the country in the eyes of foreign political forces.
References
Devlin, K., Widjaya, R., Moncus, J. J., Huang, C., Connaughton, A., & Chapekis, A. (2021). U.K., Canadian and Australian legislators express enthusiasm for Biden administration on Twitter. Pew Research Center. Web.
Krastev, I., & Leonard, M. (2021). The crisis of American power: How Europeans see Biden’s America. ECFR. Web.
Mehta, S. (2021). New U.S. administration and new hope? Views from the prism of Indo-US relations. IndraStra Global. Web.
Radu, S. (2020). U.S. 2020 elections: Greatest geopolitical risk. U.S. News. Web.